The present invention relates to an apparatus for indicating a range position for a relatively compact automatic transmission installed in a vehicle, and more particularly to an apparatus mounted on a vehicle floor, for indicating a range position for an automatic transmission.
In an automatic transmission installed in a vehicle, there has been provided an apparatus for indicating a range position adjacent to a manual control lever which is operated by an operator to obtain another range position.
In such an apparatus, a slide cover for indicating a range position for an automatic transmission is provided and a manual control lever is fitted through the slide cover. This slide cover has a range position indicating member designed to indicate the range position to an operator when a manual control lever is operated.
To make the indicating apparatus more compact, a slide cover is curved as a whole in the direction where a manual control lever slides. As the slide cover slides, the longitudinal ends of the slide cover hang down into the space which is defined under the slide cover for allowing the curved slide cover to enter. As the slide cover is curved over its length, the space occupied by the apparatus for indicating a range position for an automatic transmission, can be compact.
However, when a slide cover is curved as a whole, an apparatus for indicating a range position also has to be curved. This is a disadvantageous limitation for the design of the apparatus for indicating a range position.
It is preferable that the apparatus for indicating a range position for an automatic transmission has a plane form a flat face as large as possible, from the standpoint that an operator can see it more easily than a curved face. In order to satisfy this requirement, it has been proposed that small rounded corner portions be provided at the positions where the plane form ends and on which a slide cover slides, both ends of the slide cover extending downwardly after sliding over the small rounded corner portions. The conventional slide cover is designed to have a uniform thickness, and the slide cover has to be thick in order to obtain the required stiffness around a shaft portion of a manual control lever. Hence, when this thick slide cover slides through a narrow space defined at the small rounded corner portions, the frictional resistance to sliding increases and disrupts for the smooth operation of a manual control lever.
Contrary to this, if a slide cover is to be thin, the stiffness of the slide cover around a shaft portion of a manual control lever cannot be sufficient and the slide cover is deformed when an operator slides the manual control lever.